Resetting means for counter mechanism



March 10, 1953 H. B. VROOM RESETTING MEANS FOR COUNTER MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 26, 1951 22 /5 DOLLARS CE NT 58 2 GALLONs z g l/A? HA POLL) 5. l/ROOM 22 20A I f 88W /8/1 as} as (Ittomegs March 10, 1953 H. B. VROOM RESETTING MEANS FOR COUNTER MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 iled Sept. 26, 1951 TEXT 733 33 94 Z'mventor HA/QOLD 5. VQooM Gttornegs I H. B. ,VROOM 2,530,971

RESETTING MEANS FOR COUNTER MECHANISM Filed Sept. 26, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 F/ G. /0 m #8 M 3m entor HAROLD B. VROOM ttomegs Patented Mar. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT FFI RESETTING'MEANS FOR COUNTER MECHANISM Harold BLVroom, Simsbury, Comm, assignor to vee'de'r Root Incorporated, Hartford, Conn.,- a corporation of Connecticut Application Septcinber 26, 1951-, Serial No. 248,319

The present inventibnrelates generally to registers and, more particularly, to registers having: a resetting mechanismemploying heart-shaped cams.

The apparatus of the. presentinvention has particular utility in the. gasoline dispensing field for registering or. countingthe output'of the dispenser. It can be connected-tothe. meter ofthe dispensing apparatus in the" usual way and can be designed to registerthe output interms of both the quantity and'the cost of theliquiddispensed and in'all other respects willaccomplish the usual functions of." conventional registersor counters now produced commercially for this purpose. At theisametime. ithasmany advantages over. conventional registers or countersin' that itis more compact and economical in design, it will operate more eificientlm and it will remain serviceable andiaccurate'over longperiods of use without theneed for frequent repair or replacement.

A principal-object of the invention is to-adapt a heart-shaped-cam type ofresettin gmechanismto-a register or. counter. and at the-same'timeavoid or eliminate the disadvantagesnormally encountered withmech'anisms: of this type.- In-' cluded in thisobjectisthe provision of a novel combination of n'umber vvheel resetting meansand means for unlocking. thenumb'ei wheels-during resetting: as well as the. individual novelcomponents of; the combination Whichrender the combination efiective and efficient for thein-- tended purpose.

ther objects Will be in part obvious -and im part pointed out more'in-dtailhereinafter The invention accordingly. consistsin the iea tures ofconstruction, combination of T elements and. arrangement-pf.partswhich will' be exemplified'inthe. constructionhereafterset; forth- Fig; 4 is .a sideelevation of the.mechanism as viewed from the right referring ,td-Eigv2g Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along-the line.55 ofFig 2;?

Fig. 6 is airagmentary enlarged view, partially in cross section, of one of the indicators;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view, par tially in cross section, of one of the number wheels with the supporting shaft in shifted position; v

Fig. 8 is across sectional view taken along the line 88 of Fig. 6; t p b Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the lost motion connection disposed on the reset shaft; M

Fig; 10 is across sectional view taken along the line H)l-fl-ofli'ig.9;ancl V 4 Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the lost motion connection. 7

Referringto the drawings, and particularly Figures 1' andZ thereoflthe counterof the present invention is mounted-in a frame It consisting of a generally rectangular plate H having adja cent each side margin an I} upstanding web l2 bolted to the edges of said plate I I. At theoppo site ends of the frame are shafts l4 and i6 which extend between andare supported for axial movement in, the webs l2. Located on the shaftit in end-to-end or aligned position are two indicators i8 and Z Lthe indicator it being a cost indicator and the indicator 2 0 beinga quantity indicator. Corresponding indicators i 8A and 20A aremounted in similar fashion on-shaft 'l Each indicator comprises a set of= number- Wheels; 22-- with transfer means therebetween;- It will be noted; particularly from Fig-2 that the cost indicator and the quantity indicator atone'end' of'the mechanism are respectively; behind thequantity indicator and the cost indicator at'the other end of themechanism;

When installed in-a-dispensingapparatus; the registering mechanism -may 'be housed-inacover 24 which is- ShOWn 'I lnfFig.'1r The'cover:is-pro,-. vided at each end with two windows- 261 and- 28 positioned in-side-by-side relation so as-"to reg-ister with the respective quantity and cost-indicators. Below these respectivewindows may ap-" pear theindicia Gallons Centsf as shown in Fig. 1;

The quantity indicators 26 and? BA -are adapted to be driven fromabevel gear=('n"ot shown) which maybe connected to "the-shaft of' a' meter'of a" of theyframe;- The hub-33 ofthe bever gear' 32" has fixed thereto drive gear- 36which meshes directly with the driven gear 38 of the number and Dollars and wheel 22 of lowest order of the quantity indicator 28. Drive gear 35 also meshes with a ear 48 loosely mounted on jack shaft 42, Jack shaft 42 is parallel to shaft 34 and extends between and is journaled in the side webs l 2 of the frame. The hub 4! of the gear lEi has fixed thereto a cup-shaped gear 44 which meshes with the driven ear 38 of the number wheel 22 of lowest order of the quantity indicator 28A. As a result of this drive connection, the operation of the meter of the dispensin apparatus will cause the number wheels 22 of lowest order of the quantity indicators 28 and 26A to be rotated in opposite directions during a registering operation so that the numerals thereof are consecutively brought downwardly into the windows 28.

The cost indicators 15 and [8A are adapted to be driven by a bevel gear (not shown) which normally would be connected to a variable speed mechanism or so-called variator whereby it would be driven in selected timed relation to the meter shaft. The bevel gear driven by the variator shaft is adapted to extend upwardly through the large opening 85 and mesh with the bevel gear 45 which is fixed to the jack shaft 42 and, for convenience, is nested within the cup-shaped gear 44. The jack shaft 42 has a gear 48 fixed thereto at the left hand end as viewed in Fig. 2, which meshes directly with the driven gear 38 of the number wheel 22 of lowest order of the cost indicator I8A. The opposite end of the jack shaft 42 has fixed thereto a similar gear 58 which meshes with an idler gear 52 rotatably mounted on the jack shaft 34 which in turn meshes with the driven gear 38 of the number wheel 22 of lowest order of the cost indicator l8. It thus will be seen that rotation of the variator shaft will result in simultaneous rotation of the number wheels of lowest order of the cost indicators, the number wheels being turned in opposite directions so that the numerals thereof are consecutively brought downwardly into the windows 28. As will be apparent, the direction of rotation of the number wheels and the diagonal relationship of the corresponding indicators assures that the same readings will be obtained regardless of which end of the register is viewed.

The rotation of the number wheels 22 of lowest order of each indicator is transferred to the wheels of higher order in a conventional manner. As is best shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, each number wheel 22 consists of a hub 54 on which is mounted a cup-shaped drum 58. On the periphery of the drums 58 there appear the consecutive numerals to 9, inclusive. Rotatably mounted on the hub 54 on one side of the drum 56 is the driven gear 38 previously mentioned. Fixed to the hub 54 and drum 56 on the opposite side of drum 58 is a twotoothed driving gear 58 and a locking disc 60 which are adapted to cooperate with a transfer pinion 62. The two teeth of the driving gear 58 are offset from the plane of the locking disc 68 and the lock ng disc 68 is provided with a notch 64 registering with the two teeth of the driving gear 58. The transfer pinions 52 are rotatably mounted between the wheels on supporting shafts 68 which are supported on the frame so as to cooperate with the driving gear 58 and locking disc 88 of the number wheel of lower order and the driven gear 38 of the next adjacent number wheel of higher order. As is usual, the transfer pinions 82 are provided with alternate long and short teeth in which all of these teeth mesh with the driven gear 38 of the number wheel of higher order while only the long teeth are engaged by the driving gear 58 of the number wheel of lower order. The engagement of two teeth of the driving gear 58 of the number wheel of lower order with the transfer pinion occurs, of course, only while the wheel of lower order is turning from 9 to zero so as to advance the wheel of next higher order in stepwise fashion. Except during a transfer operation when the notch 64 of locking disc 60 is aligned with the transfer pinion, the long teeth of the transfer pinion 62 engage the periphery of the locking disc so as to prevent rotation of the transfer pinion and therefore the number wheel of higher order.

In order to disengage the number wheels from their respective driven gears 38 during a resetting operation, the supporting shafts l4 and I6 are shifted axially. As best shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, the hub 54 of the number wheels includes a through bore 55 for accommodating the respective shafts l4 and I 6 and each hub is provided with radiating webs 68, one of which is radially slotted as at 10 to accommodate a pivoted pawl 12. The pawl 12 is normally urged into cooperative engagement with its respective driven gear 38 by a compression spring 74, one end of which bears against the rear edge of the pawl and the other end of which is seated in a recess 16 at the rear of the slot 10. Each pawl is shown for illustrative purposes as being in the form of a flat piece pivoted at one end on a pin 18 extending across the radial slot H1, previously referred to, whereby the pawl is pivoted for swinging movement in a radial plane longitudinally of the axis of the wheel. The free or outer end of the pawl is provided on its extreme end with a number of fine V-shaped serrations or teeth which are adapted to engage complementary teeth 82 provided on the associated driven gear 38. The arrangement of the teeth 82 is such as to form a complete internal frusto-conical band in the side face of the gear 38. The teeth 80 and 82 are complementary, i. e. of similar size, pitch and inclination so that they will properly intermesh.

When the pawls 12 are in the position illustrated in Fig. 6, the interengagement of the teeth on the pawl and the teeth on the driven gear causes the number wheel to rotate when the driven gear 38 is rotated. In this position it will be noted that each pawl has adjacent its pivoted end a lobe or projection 84 which extends into the bore of the hub 54 and which is received in a circumferential groove 86 in the supporting shaft M or IE, as the case may be. The circumferential grooves 86 freely accommodate these lobes so that the registering operations are not interfered with by the shafts. However, when the shafts l4 and [6 are shifted axially, the lobes 84 ride out of the grooves 86 and onto the cylindrical portions of the shafts which causes the pawls to be cammed out of engagement with the driven gears, as indicated in Fig. 7 of the drawings, whereby the number wheels are no longer connected to the driven gear 38 and thus are free to be reset.

In order to permit resetting of each of the number wheels 22 to initial starting position, there is provided a heart-shaped cam 88 secured to each of the hubs 54 adjacent the locking disc 68. For convenience, the heart-shaped cams 88 may be secured to the locking discs 60 such as by means of rivets 98. Cooperating with each heart-shaped cam 88 is a separate actuating or resetarm 92. .The arms 92 are cooperatingwith the indicators, 18 anda20 are fixed to a shaft .94 rotatably j ournaled at opposite ends of. the frame, and the arms 92 cooperating with indicators ISA and 20A are fixed to a shaft 96 also journaled at opposite sides of the frame. The'actuating arms 92 are provided with spaced apart fingers 98 whichare adapted to engage'against the periphery of the heart-shaped cam and thus turn the cam so that .the point of the cam "is farthest removed from .thefingers 380i the actuating arm 92. The cams 88 are fastened to the hubs of the number wheels, as previouslymentioned-so: that when the cams are fully turned -01" actuated-by the arms .32, th y ,indicia on the. number wheels appearing in the windows 26-and 28 will be zero. Themode of operation of heart-shapedcams and associated actuating-arms is, of coursewell known in the art.

For driving the actuating arms 32 to carry: out

a resetting operation; there is provided arreset shaft I00 journaled in opposite-sidewebs of the frame- I0 near the. midpointof the frame .and having, on-its outer end. any suitable means for reciprocating theshaft, i. e. turning it througha partial revolution and return, such as the-manually operated crank-IOZ. Mounted on the-reset shaft. I00 is a-lostmotion connector generally designated by the reference letter M. .The-lost motion connector M, as best shownin Figs.-9, and. 11, comprises a first plate- I04 having a hub I06 which-is pinned to the reset shaft H30. The-plate 1.94 is generallydisc-shaped except for a projection 108 which is bent at right angles to the..plane of the plate I04 and extends to the.

left'as viewed in Fig. -10 .ofthe drawings. To the left of the plate I04, as viewed in'Fig. 10 of .the drawingsthere :is, a .hub II Il which is loosely mounted on the shaft I00. and which has secured theretoa plate II2 having a .radially'extending shoulder- H4. The hub III). is. notched... at I16 to receive one end of a fiat coil spring H8. The coil spring LIB is coiled-inaaclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 9 of thedrawings and at its outer. end has a vbent-overportionv J-extending radially outwardly soas to engage-on the top of the projection I08 of the. plate 104; and also a, projection I22 on aggear; segment 424 which isprovided vwitha hub I25, also loosely mounted on the resetshaft I93. The projection I22.extendsat right angles to the plane of the gear segment I24 and is disposed radially-outwardly from. the proiection 108 of th firstplate 104.

The. operation of the lost motion connection M will probably-beapparent from the foregoing description taken in connection with .the following explanation. VJhen the reset. shaft is turned in a resetting direction, i. e. in:-a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 90f the-drawings, theprojection I98 of the first plate 194,. byengagement with the outer end of-the-coil spring I=I8,will cause rotationof the hub.IIO and. hence the plate H2. The spring H8 is sufficiently-.-strong so that flexing of the spring. will be negligible during normal operation .of the. apparatus. lihe rotation of the plate H2 in-due course will-bring the shoulder I I4 thereof into.contactwith the projection I22, thus co mencing rotation of the gear segment 124 to effect a resetting operation.

When the crankis turned in the onp"site direc tion to returnv the parts to original starting position, the :firstmovement-which occurswill be counterclockwise rotation of the first late. 104 whose pro ection I08 will engageagai-nst the shoulder II 4. of the.=plate. Il2'andfthus also :im-

- 1y avoided.

part rotation toithe :plate I12 .and its hubv I10. The hub I I0 being connected to the spring, I18 will. cause the spring to be rotated as a body until the bent-over portion I 20 engages against the projection I22 on the gear segment I24 and thus finally" results in counterclockwiserotation of the gear segment I24. It thus will be apparent that during resetting when the handle is turned first in a-clockwise direction and also when it is reversed in a counterclockwise direction, there will be a time delay before motion is imparted to the gear segment 124.

The gear segment I24 meshes with a gear segment I28 which is .fixed to the jack shaft 34 inwardly of the adjacent frame web I2. Also fixed to the jack shaft 34 at its outer end, projecting outwardly from the lefthand web I2, is a two segment/gear I33 which has a, first segment I3iia meshingwith a gear segment I32 secured to the reset arm supporting shaft 94 in a manner to be described-more particularly hereinafter. Gear I30 has. a second segment 13Gb which segment portion I302) meshes with a two-segmentgear I34 loosely mounted on the outer end of the jack shaft, 42. Segment portion I34a, in turn, meshes with a gear segment I35 which is fixed to-the reset arm'carrying shaft 36. Accordingly, when the. reset handle H32 and reset shaft I33 are turned in a clockwise-direction to effect a resetting operation, the gear segment I32 will'be turned in a clockwise direction and gear segment I35 will bev turned in-a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The gear segment I35 is fixed to the shaft 35, as previously mentioned, so that the shaft is positively driven at all times by the segment 35. The gear segment I32, however, is mounted on shaft '94 with provision for limited relative movement therebetween. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the gear segment I32 includes a hub I33 which is connected to the shaft 94 :by. means of a key E33 which extends. into a keyway I3! in the shaft. The keyway is'of larger size than the key so as to permit some play therebetween. A clearance or free movement; of approximately five degrees is desirable. There .is' also provided a coil spring I33 extending around the hub I33 which is connected at one .end to a stud I39 on the gear segment and which-has itsother end connected to a pin MI in the end of shaft 94. As a result of thelimited play-between gear segment I32 and shaft 94;. anymisalignment of the number wheels on opposite ends of. the register can be complete- When assembling the register, the cam actuating arms 92, and particularly the arm cooperating with the quantity indicator Wheel of lowestorder,- are fixed to the shaft-'35 in such position thatit-is: assured that the indicators I8 :and 25 will be reset to zero slightly ahead of the indicators ISA and 26A. As aresult, when" the gear se ments 132- and I34 aredri-ven upon -turning of the reset shaft, the gear segment i32-will cause the reset arm carrying shaft $8 to be turned through the coil spring I33, until indicators 18 and 253 are reset to zero whereupon further turning movement of shaft 35 will he prevented. However; gear segment I32 can continue to be advanced an additional slight amount by reason of the free play previously mentioned and the resiliency of spring I38. This additional permissive-:turning of the gear train thus insures that resetting of the indicators IiA and NA will go to completion. nln' this way the necessity for 1accuratelyaaligning orcalibrating the resetting "2 mechanism to insure exactly simultaneous resetting of the opposite sets of number wheels, which is almost impossible to attain in commercial production, may be avoided.

As previously mentioned, lost motion connection M is provided so that the reset shaft I88 may be turned a limited degree before movement is imparted to the various gear segments, both when reset is initiated and when the reset shaft is turned in a reverse direction to return the mechanism to original starting position. This is important because it insures that the number wheels will be fully unlocked before zeroizing of the number wheels is initiated, and that subsequently they will be relocked to the driving mechanism before the arms 82 which zeroize the number wheels are removed from engagement with the cams 88. The latter feature is essential to accurate calibration, for otherwise slight movement of the number wheels, particularly those of lowest order, might occur. Therefore, to insure that there will be no movement of the gear segments upon turning of the reset handle until the desired advance turning of the reset shaft I88 has been accomplished, there is provided a spring I48 connected at one end on a stud I42 on the outer face of the segment gear I88 and at the other end to a stud I44 on the web of the frame I6. The studs I42 and I44 are so located that the spring I48 operates, in effect, like a toggle, i. e. the axis of the spring I48 will extend on one side of the center of the jack 34 at the initiation of reset and on the other side at completion of reset so as to hold the gear segment I28 from turning until it is positively driven through the lost motion connection M previously described.

Fixed to the reset shaft I88 at the opposite end from the crank I82 there is fastened a cam I46, in the form as best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The cam I48 is provided with an arcuate outer edge I48 terminating in radial shoulders I58 and I52 at opposite sides thereof. The cam I46 is provided for the purpose of actuating a slide I54 which in turn will actually reciprocate the shafts I 4 and E6 on which the number wheels are positioned. As best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the slide I54 is an elongated plate which is slidably supported by studs I56 on the adjacent web of the frame I8 and which studs extend through elongated slots I58 in the slide I54. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings, the outer extremities of the slide I54 are bent over to provide horizontal wings I68 in which are cut diagonal slots I62, as best shown in Fig. 2. The diagonal slots I62 receive rollers I64 which are fastened to the outside of the shafts I4 and I6, these shafts being flattened as shown at I66 to facilitate the mounting of the rollers I64. As a result of the pin and slot connection just described, it will be apparent that when the slide I54 is moved to the left, as'

viewed in Fig. 4, the shafts I4 and I 6 will be pulled outwardly, i. e. to the right as viewed in Fig. 2. Due to the shape of the slots I62, the slide, when moved to the left as just described, will tend to remain in that position until positively actuated in a reverse direction. When the slide is moved in a reverse direction, i. e., to the right as viewed in Fig. i, the shafts l4 and I6 will be pushed inwardly, i. e. to the left as viewed in Fig. 2. of the shafts to the right as viewed in Fig. 2 will disengage the number wheels from their respective driven gears and when the shafts are re- As previously described, the shifting turned to original position, the number wheels are re-engaged with their respective driven gears.

As best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the slide I54 has mounted thereon a pair of pivoted pawls I68 and I18, these pawls being urged in opposite directions by means of a spring I12 extending therebetween; the pawl I68 being urged in a clockwise direction and the pawl I18 being urged in a counterclockwise direction. Rotation of the pawls I68 and I18 is limited by means of stops I14 formed at the edges of a cage I16 enclosing the pawls I68 and I18.

In the normal position of the mechanism, i. e. during registering, the cam I46 extends upwardly between the outer ends of the pawls I68 and I18, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Then, when the cam I46 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, which occurs at the initiation of a reset operation, the shoulder I58 by engagement against the nose of the pawl I 88 will move the slide I54 in a lefthand direction. This movement continues until the shifting of the shafts I4 and I6 has been completed, whereupon the arcuate outer edge I48 of the cam I46 will ride underneath the pawl I68 so that further turning movement of the reset shaft I88 will not be prevented. Due to the lost motion connection M previously described, the shifting of the slide I54 takes place before the resetting pawls 92 are actuated, thus insuring that no attempt will be made to reset the number wheels until they have been fully disengaged from their respective driving gears. At the completion of the reset, when desired to turn the reset shaft I88 in a reverse direction to original starting position, the first operation which takes place will be the clockwise rotation of the cam I46, as viewed in Fig. 4, causing the shoulder I52 to engage against the nose of the pawl I10, thus returning the slide to initial starting position. Here again the movement of the slide takes place before any movement is imparted to the reset arms 92, thus insuring that the number wheels will be re-engaged with their driving gears and thus locked in zero position before the reset pawls release the number wheels. In that way inaccurate resetting of the number wheels during a zeroizing operation is completely avoided.

In the operation of the resetting mechanism it is possible that one of the reset pawls 92 may engage against a point on one of the heart-shaped cams 88 whereby resetting is prevented. It has been found that this situation will arise only rarely but, if such engagement should occur with the present mechanism, no damage will result because of the spring I I8 in the lost motion connector M. While this spring is stiff enough so that it normally will not flex during a resetting operation, nonetheless if movement of one of the pawls is prevented, the spring I I8 will give sufficiently to prevent breakage. In the event resetting is not accomplished for the reasons just set forth, the operator need only return the reset mechanism to initial starting position and then again go through the resetting operation. It has been found that the exact position of the wheels which will cause one of the reset arms to be blocked by the point of a heart-shaped cam 88 is so critical that the slight amount of vibration required to return the reset mechanism to initial starting position and then the repetition of the resetting operation will generally overcome the situation and permit resetting to be carried out to completion.

It thus will be seen that there has been pro v de rii a cs rd n wit -th ;:inv nt en j: sie j ister or counte1 -having; a resettingarrangement operating on the heart-shaped cam principle which; is' compact; an'dhighly -efi'icient-in; operation and which will function-effectively and reliab 1y=f orjthe intended purpose.

:As many changes could be made -in-the above construction and many' apparent-lywidely-*difierent embodiments of this invention could be :made withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it; is intended that all matter containedfl'im the above d s r p o o sh w li th eecqnman n drawings shall be' interpretediasjllustratiyeand no i a im tin sens F' is also. t u d tood thatth lan ua 1. t w e claim i t nde to o e a l .o 1' th n r an s e ifi fea ure th i inv n n her i d rib n a st t entso th co e of, t i vent o which a amatt la e a em i h pb ai t ifa th ebet e I la as m i en on: il -i a Qu er .a. p :a1it -.o .numbe w eels,

" including a driving and adriven gear associated with each wheel and arranged Qin sidejby side el enshi hera t ,.int t too hed sea ingbetween the drivin andjdriven gears forgonn' et nsi the. numb r .wheel n..drivins. relatio l hip uwh re ygthe numbe w eel .of. hieherorde is L l Q from, the precedin number .whee .o j lower order,,a heart-shapedcam secured to each num er. wh el. .a. resettin armen a am ,with each heart-shaped cam to reset ,the nurnher wheels, andmeans normal co e ti th mu e 1 her wheels T to" their respegtiye, driving gears in positive driving, relationship. which is, shiftable .to .free the. .number.=,whejels irom thedrivina gea inea reettin ..-opra on.

.; 2. aco nte a .a iallys itabl upp rtin J ha t, a-m ralitxei. numbe aw eelsi includ ng a driving and ,a, ,driven, ear. .associated,.withQeach wh el -and.. arra ed in 'sid .,by, d re ationship therewith, .on the. shaft. interrupted toothed heart-shaped camsecured to, eachnumber wheel,

anda resettingarm, engageablewith, each heart- ..shapedcam .tozeroize the number wheels.

.3.. In a counter, an axially.shiftabla-supporting .shaft, a .plurali tyof numberrwheelsongthe shaft,

interrupted toothed gearin andpomplementary driving. gears, for. connecting the number wheels in. driving relationship .wherebythe number whe el vof higher. .order is driven, from ,the. ,preceding .number wheel of lower, order, displaceable, means ,for selectively connecting and disconnecting ,the .number .wheelsand their respectivedriving gears, means for displacing saiddisplaceablemeans to disconnecting.ppsitionwhen the shaft is axially shifted to, placeuthe number. wheels in ..condition for zeroizing, a heart-shaped, camsecured to eaeh number wheel, resetting. arms engageable with the v heart-shaped cams, to zeroize the number Wh ls; and c mmo actuatinemean for op ra in the. es t armsan p lsh ttinat e-s a to zeroize thenumber wheels.

* 4-1 acoun er-anazrial sh ftab e. su prtine shaft, a plurality of number wheels on the shaft,

t m ae iio dr in zt numbe .Wh 11 3 15 associated with each number wheel, ,a "driving pawlpivotedflto each wheel for swinging move- 5 ,n ent into andout of "driving engagement with th re ct .i r eamem n m an o t ef for idisengaging the pawl when'jthe shaft is shifted ,in one direction, a heart-shaped cam on each number .whee l, resetting arms engageable with the, .heart shaped cams to zeroize the number wheels, meansj for shifting the supporting shaft,

means for actuating the resetting arms and -.m. ns. fo ati th l i w nam mea sequence.

5."1I n .a counter, an; axially shiftable supporting shaft, a plurality of number wheels on the l .i l1 .llt w iihfi fi i fl n 9 men ar rir n eea ferco n h mb w he els in ldriyirig relationship whereby the num -ber wheel of higher orderis driven from the precedin num e wh e i ow Or d n pawl pivoted to each wheehfor swinging moveintent-into and out of driving engagement with 'the respective 'drivinggear, means on the shaft for. positioning thepawlinaccordance with the shifte cl position of the shaft, a heart-shaped cam secured to each number wheel, resetting arms-en- -ga geab le with-the heart-shaped cams to zeroize the-number wheels, and -means 'forshifting the shaft and actuating: the resetting arms in se- 1. n.

6.' In a counter, anaxia-lly shiftablesupporting shaft, a pluralityofnumber Wheelson the shaft, interrupted toothedgearing' and complementary driving gears for connecting the number wheels in driving relationship whereby the number-wheel of 7 higher order is -=olriven from the --preceding number wheelof lower order, displaeeablemeans for selectively connecting and disconnecting the number wheelsand their respectivedriving gears, -Ineans for displacing-said displaceable means to disconnectingpositionwhen the shaft is axially shifted -to;.-p1ace; the number wheels in condition for zeroizing,aheart-shaped cam securedto each -numberwheel, resetting arms--engageable-with the heart-shaped cams to zeroize the number --wheels,: and -means for shifting the shaft and actuating the resetting arms-in timed sequence to effect a resetting operation.

I 7. In a counter, an: axially shiftablesupporting rshaft a plurality of number-wheels on the shaft, interrupted toothed gearing and complementary driving gears for connecting the number wheels :.in .;driving relationship whereby the i number .l'wheelcof higher.v order isndriven from: the preceding :number .wheel .of lower order, displaceable rmeansiforvselectiyely connecting and disconnect- ;inggthe .numberwheels and their respective-driving gears, means for actuating saidldisplaceable -means when the. shaftis axially shifted,-a.heart- ;sh aped camsecured toeach .numberwheel, resetting arms engageablewith theheartrshaped cams yfiQZQroizethe number wheels, reciprocal actuatgmgwmeans 'forresettingl .the. counter, a connec- .19 tw en; the actuating means and the. sup- -:Q Ol-lllg; shaft; for ;shi;f ting lupon operation .ofzathe actuating-means; and; a;. l,ost imotion connection nsmeansandtheresetting ta m ewh re the; a m r -;.reqi ro.cat dlfo lqwines fi he ef heei i'tineshafi- 12 .l a Qu ter anaxia y. sh fta l supportin shaft atp urality of, number wheelsron the shaft, mile runte to eearin an c mpl m n a y ,d i ns ears, fo conneqtinethe nu nbergwlie s .in,- .d vine rela onshi -w e yth ui b r e of higher order is' driven' from the preceding number wheel of lower order, displaceable means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the number wheels and their respective driving gears, means for actuating said displaceable means when the supporting shaft is axially shifted, a heart-shaped cam secured to each number wheel, resetting arms engageable with the heart-shaped cams to zeroize the number wheels, a reset shaft, means for reciprocally rotating the reset shaft, means for shifting the supporting shaft, a driving connection between the last-named means and the reset shaft, means for actuating the resetting arms, a lost motion connection between the last-named means and the reset shaft, and biasing means for holding the reset arms in position until driven by the said lost motion connection.

9. In a counter, an axially shiftable supporting shaft, a plurality of number wheels on the shaft, interrupted toothed gearing and complementary driving gears for connecting the number wheels in driving relationship whereby the number wheel of higher order is driven from the preceding number wheel of lower order, displaceable means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the number wheels and their respective driv ing gears, means for actuating said displaceable means when the supporting shaft is axially shifted, a heart-shaped cam secured to each number wheel, an auxiliary shaft extending generally parallel to the number wheel supporting shaft, a plurality of resetting arms supported on the auxiliary shaft and shiftable into and out of engagement with the heart-shaped cams when the auxiliary shaft is reciprocally rotated, a reset shaft, means operable by the reset shaft for shifting the supporting shaft, and a lost motion connection between the reset shaft and the auxiliary shaft.

10. In a counter, an axially shiftable supporting shaft, a plurality of number wheels on the shaft, interrupted toothed gearing and complementary driving gears for connecting the number wheels in driving relationship whereby the number wheel of higher order is driven from the preceding number wheel of lower order, displaceable means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the number wheels and their respective driving gears, a means for actuating said displaceable means when the supporting shaft is axially shifted, a heart-shaped cam secured to each number wheel, an auxiliary shaft extending generally parallel to the number wheel supporting shaft, a plurality of resetting arms supported on the auxiliary shaft and shiftable into and out of engagement with the heart-shaped cams when the auxiliary shaft is reciprocally rotated, a reset shaft, means including a cam on the reset shaft for shifting the supporting shaft, and a resilient lost motion connection between the reset shaft and the auxiliary shaft comprising a driving element fixed to the reset shaft and rotatable therewith, a driven element operably connected to the auxiliary shaft and rotatably mounted adjacent the driving element, said elements being provided with opposing transverse projections, a rotatable transfer element intermediate the driving and driven elements having a shoulder engageable with one side of said projections, and a coil spring fixed at one end to the transfer element having an extension for engaging the other side of said projections.

11. In a counter, a plurality of number wheels, a heart shaped cam secured to each number wheel, a plurality of resetting arms shiftable 12 into engagement with the peripheries of the cams to zeroize the number wheels, a reciprocal actuating element, and a resilient connection between the actuating element and the resetting arms.

12. In a counter, a plurality of coaxially mounted number wheels, a heart shaped cam secured to each number wheel, a first shaft extending generally parallel to the axis of the number wheels, resetting arms secured to the first shaft for swinging movement into and out of engagement with the cams when the first shaft is reciprocally rotated, a reset shaft, and a resilient driving connection between the reset shaft and the first shaft.

13. In a counter, a' plurality of coaxially mounted number wheels, a heart shaped cam secured to each number wheel, a first shaft extending generally parallel to the axis of the number wheels, resetting arms secured to the first shaft for swinging movement into and out of engagement with the cams when the first shaft is reciprocally rotated, a reset shaft,,and a resilient lost motion connection between the reset shaft and the firstshaft.

14. In a counter, a plurality of coaxially mounted number wheels, a heart shaped cam secured to each number wheel, a first shaft extending generally parallel to the axis of the number wheels, resetting arms secured to the first shaft for swinging movement into and out of engagement with the cams when the first shaft is reciprocally rotated, a reset shaft, and a resilient lost motion connection between the reset shaft and the first shaft comprising a driving element fixed to the reset shaft and rotatable therewith, a driven element 'operably connected to the first shaft and rotatably mounted adjacent the driving element, said elements being provided with opposing transverse projections, a rotatable transfer element intermediate the driving and driven elements having a shoulder engageable with one side of said projections, and a coil spring fixed at one end to the transfer element having an extension for'engaging the other side of said projections.

15. In a counter, a frame, a pair of parallel supporting shafts mounted for axial movement on the frame, an indicator on each shaft comprising a plurality of side by side number wheels, interrupted toothed gearing and complementary driving gears for connecting the number wheels of each indicator in driving relationship whereby the number wheels of higher order are driven from the preceding number wheels of lower order, displaceable means for selectively connect-- ing and disconnecting the number wheels and their respective driving gears, means for displacing the displ'aceable means when the supporting shafts are axially shifted, a heart shaped cam secured to each number wheel, resetting arms mounted for swinging movement into engagement with the heart shaped cams to reset the number wheels to zero, operating means to drive the resetting arms into engagement with the cams, a slide mounted for sliding movement transversely of the supporting shafts and having means for axially shifting the supporting shafts when the slide is shifted, and means for actuating the slide and the resetting arms operating means in timed sequence.

16. In a counter, a frame, a pair of parallel supporting shafts mounted for axial movement on the frame, an indicator on each shaft comprising a plurality of side by side number wheels, interrupted toothed gearing and complementary driving gears for connecting the number wheels of each indicator in driving relationship whereby the number wheels of higher order are driven from the preceding number wheels of lower order, displaceable means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the number wheels and their respective driving gears, means for displacing the displaceable means when the supporting shafts are axially shifted, a heart shaped cam secured to each number wheel, resetting arms engageable with the cams to reset the number wheels, a reset shaft for actuating the resetting arms, a slide mounted on the frame for sliding movement transversely of the supporting shafts and having means for shifting the supporting shafts when the slide is shifted, a cam on the shaft having opposed radially extending shoulders, and a pair of spaced apart pivotally mounted pawls on the slide engageable alternately with said shoulders.

17. In a resettable counter, a frame, a pair of parallel supporting shafts mounted for axial movement on the frame, an indicator on each shaft comprising a plurality of side by side number wheels, means for driving the number wheels during a counting operation including a driven member associated with each number Wheel, displaceable means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the number wheels and their respective driving gears, means for displacing the displacealble member when the supporting shafts are axially shifted, a slide mounted on the frame for sliding movement transversely of the supporting shafts and having means for axially shifting the supporting shafts when the slide is shifted, a reset shaft, a cam on the shaft having opposed radially extending shoulders, and a pair of spaced apart pivotally mounted pawls on the slide engageable alternately with said shoulders.

18. In a resettable counter, a frame, a pair of parallel indicator supporting shafts mounted for axial movement on the frame, a slide mounted for sliding movement on the frame transversely of the shafts, means on the slide for axially shifting the shafts when the slide is shifted, a rotatable reset shaft extending transversely of the slide, and means for actuating the slide during initial turning of the shaft in either direction comprising a radially extending plate on the reset shaft having spaced apart radially extending shoulders, a pair of pawls pivotally mounted on the slide for engagement respectively with said radial shoulders, means biasing the pawls into engaging position, and means limiting pivoting movement of the pawls.

19. In a counter, a pair of supporting shafts, an indicator on each shaft comprising a plurality of side by side number wheels, a heart-shaped cam secured to each number wheel, a pair of rotatable auxiliary shafts parallel, respectively, to said supporting shafts, a plurality of resetting arms secured to each auxiliary shaft and engageable with said cams to reset the number wheels when the auxiliary shafts are turned, a reset shaft, gear trains between the reset shaft and each of said auxiliary shafts, and a resilient lost motion connection in at least one of said gear trains to insure full resetting movement of said auxiliary shafts.

HAROLD B. VROOM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,193,320 Hoyle et a1 Mar. 12, 1940 2,563,668 Abel Aug. 7, 1951 

